


Do Your Best, Hero!!

by ByteBug



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Inspired by Art, One Shot, or rather chiaki does, superhero au, the gang fight a eldritch terror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-12
Packaged: 2018-12-26 22:27:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12068214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ByteBug/pseuds/ByteBug
Summary: Superhero Ryuseitai AU - Chiaki Morisawa tries to save the world from a vague eldritch terror; probably needs saving himself.





	Do Your Best, Hero!!

**Author's Note:**

> Here's a one-shot of an AU I like a lot. This particular work was inspired by a piece of art by the amazingly talented Fletch, [please check it out!!](https://twitter.com/fletcharrow_/status/906935296243236865)

The sky was painted a rustlike red, broken up by sharp lines of dark smoke protruding from the skyline of the city. The heat beating down on cracked concrete and melting asphalt was suffocating and uncomfortable, and for anyone unlucky enough to remain among the ruined buildings, it would surely be a deathtrap if exposure lasted too long. Already blistered limbs could be seen sticking out between the debris - those who had been caught in a wayward blast, perhaps. Regardless, they were luckier than the blackening mounds littering what was left of the roads; at least they had been granted a quick death.

The source of all the devastation was the same as the deadly heat. Where the sun should’ve hung high, ever present amid the chaos below, there was instead an orb of pure blackness. From a distance, it seemed smooth and voidlike, and staring too long into it would soon give any onlooker the deeply unpleasant sensation of being sucked into its mass - that was, if your retinas hadn’t burnt out by then. 

The city was ruined, great paths carved out by the orb’s unmeasurable power. Every few minutes a flare of energy radiated from it, sent careening towards the helpless civilization below, obliterating anything that stood in its way. The streets had long since emptied, with any who remained taking refuge in whatever shelter was left standing, praying to whatever was out there that they would be spared.

There was only one lone figure left alive outside, dashing down roads and side alleys, nimbly sliding and jumping over obstacles. A twin-tailed scarf of bright red standing out among the dulled tones the rest of the world had succumbed to, billowing out magnificently behind them as they ran. It was one of the few people who those left could place their hopes on - a superhero: Chiaki Morisawa, alias ‘Ryusei Red’.

Navigating the increasingly confusing paths towards the city centre, where the orb hung menacingly above, Ryusei Red took in the surroundings. The more vulnerable part of him - the part which would never be allowed control during a mission - swallowed thickly, a feeling a desperate grief at seeing his city - _his home_ \- so utterly and irrevocably destroyed sitting deep in his stomach. But that had to be ignored. He was not Chiaki Morisawa right now, he wasn’t allowed feelings of sentiment or sadness. He was Ryusei Red, the burning heart who always ran with a smile on his face, even while the weight of the world was on his shoulders. 

Of course, it wasn’t a burden for him alone. 

Lifting his hand up to the receiver which was somehow still attached to his face, he called in on his teammates; the indomitable Ryuseitai. 

“Ryuseis, status report,” he ordered, having no time for the usual boisterous encouragements that made up the staple of his leadership style. There were a few heart-rending moments where no-one answered, where Chiaki Morisawa took over and his mind ran wild with thoughts of his beloved teammates lying dead or dying somewhere among the ruins. Ryusei Red wouldn’t allow that to last for long though, and thankfully there was no need to as the surprisingly chipper voice of Ryusei Black chimed in.

“Clearing some debris, Leader. I look real strong right now, so don’t worry about me!” It was comforting to hear Ryusei Black stay so confident even when he was doubtlessly aware of the hopeless odds they faced. The younger hero was reliable, even when he himself doubted it. 

“Glad to hear, Black!” He took his hand off the communicator for just a moment to vault over a pillar that blocked his path. “How about Yellow and Green?”

“They’re-” Ryusei Black cut himself off, and Chiaki could hear the sound of grunting and concrete against concrete. “Sorry, just had to move something out of the way. They went off by themselves to escort some late evacuees.”

“Are they safe?”

“I hope so. Those two work well as a pair, anyway. Don’t worry too much, Leader.” Red chuckled heartily, trying to keep the mood up between the pair. Before he could reply, another voice chimed in on the communicator:

“We’re both fine…” Even during situations like this, Ryusei Green found a way to sound morose. That was just his personality. “Shinobu’s power means we can move around and stuff, so don’t worry too much.”

“That’s what I just said!” Ryusei Black shouted over the comms, laughing as he did. 

“Right, right, I get it. I’m just being a good leader - after all, it’s my duty to check in with the rest of my team. Anyway, Ryusei Green! Remember to use our hero names!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“How are you, Taichou-dono?” Now he’d heard the sound of Ryusei Yellow’s voice, Chiaki really could relax. 

“I’m just fine! This heat doesn’t affect me at all, remember! Just leave the hard stuff to me and focus on evacuation.”

“Got it. We’ll continue as is, then,” Ryusei Yellow replied, as the others agreed. 

“Do you need a boost, Chi- ah, Red?” Green quietly added. Ryusei Red paused. Ryusei Green’s power certainly had their uses, but...he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t uncomfortable to experience. The sensation of feeling emotions that weren’t really his was something Red had never gotten used to. Glancing up at the sky, the orb was getting larger and larger the closer he got to its epicentre. He steeled himself.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine as is! You just focus and getting everyone to safety, Green!” There was a murmur of affirmation from the other side of the line, and Ryusei Red was happy to leave it there (even if Chiaki wasn’t. Even if Chiaki desperately wanted to feel even braver and more powerful than he did currently). 

Ryusei Black began to speak up once more, but whatever it was, all the red-clad hero ended up hearing was a rush of deafening static as a cacophony of rumbling emanated from the orb, now closer and bigger than ever. He didn’t even have time to yell before the flare of energy burst out from the otherworldly being, blasting a line of pure destructive power frighteningly close to Ryusei Red. He was sent flying, crashing into debris; the remains from another blast. If the armoured padding on his suit was any less potent, he would’ve been sure to break something on the impact. It still hurt a ton, though. He could feel a new trickle of blood roll slowly down his face, and quickly wiped it away. 

Apparently, the blast had only disrupted the communicator, rather than completely break it, as Ryusei Red could hear a trio of concerned cries, mixed in with the crackling sound of static. The communicator itself might’ve been damaged, or perhaps the energy had an effect on it. Either way, he couldn’t make out anything clear from it. He had no idea if his own message would go through, but Ryusei Red - and Chiaki - felt an obligation to say something.

“I-I’m okay,” he hissed out, trying his hardest to sound positive. “Just a little blast! Nothing your leader can’t handle.”

He didn’t hear any more after that, and whether it’s because his teammates trusted him or the communicator had outright broken, he didn’t know. 

Any sensible person would realise the stupidity of trying to take on the orb by themselves. Any reasonable person would tell him to leave right now. Join up with the rest of the Ryuseis and help with evacuation. Cut their losses and run away before anything worse happened.

But Ryusei Red wouldn’t. Chiaki Morisawa couldn’t. 

After all, what sort of superhero - what sort of friend - would he be if he abandoned someone as precious to him as Kanata Shinkai?

The same Shinkai who was in the very middle of that black, seemingly invincible orb. The same Shinkai who’d somehow caused it to appear, and was probably acting as some kind of human battery for a eldritch god-like being hellbent on destroying everything near it. There was no way of knowing for certain, but Chiaki had a horrific feeling that Kanata was fighting his own battle in the midst of that thing, and that he was the only reason it hadn’t evolved past random energy blasts. But whatever Kanata was doing, it wouldn’t last forever. He would succumb, and the orb would truly be unstoppable then. 

It was Ryusei Red’s duty to save him, as Chiaki had before, all that time ago. 

But Chiaki wasn’t stupid. He knew what he was trying to do was suicidal at best. It was for that reason he hadn’t let the other Ryusei’s know of the orb’s true nature. All he’d told them was that Kanata was stuck fighting it, not fighting _inside_ it. He’d told them he was going to assist Kanata on the ground. It was a lie. It was all more or less lies. Lies which Chiaki would have to face up to after this whole situation was over; when they could all return to those idyllic early days of Ryuseitai, where their worst problems were a few unruly thugs. That felt so long ago.

Chiaki was tired. Ryusei Red wouldn’t stop, though. He didn’t really have a plan beyond ‘get to the orb’. He had no clue how to save Kanata. But he would, there really wasn’t any other choice. Succeed - or die trying. 

The pain of the blast was catching up to him now, a deep ache echoing with every pound his foot made on the ground. He breathing was getting deeper and deeper, as the air become harder to breathe. His natural resistance to heat was the only reason his lungs weren’t burning up from the inside out right now. But he pushed through, and finally, with one last sluggish turn round the ruins of what used to be a tower block, Ryusei Red reached the city centre. 

Finally he stopped to catch his breath, and truly take in the enemy he faced properly. Now that he was up close, he could see that the orb was not, in fact, smooth. Rather, it was constantly writhing, a million appendages lashing out with the anger of being unable to stretch into their true, monstrous form. It seemed to pulsate every few moments, like some horrific organ, as if trying to break free of whatever was holding it back. Surrounding the entire orb was a tiny layer of blue aura, like a barrier.

Ryusei Red grinned. It seemed he’d been right: Ryusei Blue really had been fighting this whole time. That meant he was alive in there, somewhere, which in turn meant Chiaki could save him.

But how? Well. There was really only the option of doing what Red was best at doing. Burning. Before he could plan out a route of attack, there was a cracking sound, and Ryusei Red only had an instant to dive out of the way as one of the tentacles lunged out to the ground, burying its way into where he had stood before. Looking up, he noticed the blue aura was wavering, pulsating along with the rest of the orb now. Ryusei Red gritted his teeth. He was running out of time. 

But there was hardly any time to consider more options before even more tentacles shot at him. Red dived, flipped and jumped his way over and around them, only just avoiding being pierced through by millimetres each time. There was not a single chance to even breathe. Stop, and he would surely be killed. He heard a ripping sound, and a quick glance behind him revealed his scarf had been caught in the crossfire, now flapping uselessly on the ground. And he suddenly had a brainwave.

But he’d need help for this idea, and there was only one person who could provide it. There was almost no chance that they’d hear him. None at all, really. But Chiaki Morisawa believed they would, and so surely everything would work out. After all, what kind of story ended up with the hero losing?

“Ryusei Blue!” He cried out, as loud as he could manage. His voice was croaky and broken, but powerful all the same. 

“You have to hold one of those tentacles for just a few seconds,” he paused to avoid yet another one plummeting towards one. “Please! I know it must be hard, I know it must hurt. But I promise I’ll save you! Please, Kanata, do your best!” He shouted out the final plea with all the grandness he could summon up within him. He was Ryusei Red, after all. He was a hero, and he believed Kanata would hear him. Kanata Shinkai, Ryusei Blue - the right-hand man of Ryuseitai. If Chiaki was a hero, than Kanata was one ten-fold. 

And, somehow, he heard him.

Chiaki didn’t hear the sound of another rushing towards him. He stopped, and for a few heartbeats feared he’d make a mistake and would be crushed any second now. But he wasn’t. Kanata _had heard him_. 

Whipping around, he saw the last tentacle that had tried to crush him stuck firm in the ground, held there by the same blue aura that was holding the orb in its place. It was weak, though. It wouldn’t last for long. Ten seconds, if not less.

But ten seconds was more than enough. Wasting no more time, Chiaki leapt forward, hand outstretched. He let the heat that burnt inside him bubble up the the surface, alighting his fingertips. The same time the blue aura disappeared from around the tentacle, and the same time another one came flying towards him with little chance of missing it’s target now, Chiaki - with the full might of Ryusei Red and all that stood for supporting him - grasped the tentacle in hand.

And incinerated it. The joy of letting his flames engulf something as huge and grand as this was encompassing, as addicting as anything Chiaki could imagine. There had only been a handful of times he’d felt as satisfied using his power as he did at this moment. Even if the tentacle that that been flying towards him had indeed pierced his body, even if his blood was draining from his body, even if he was only seconds from death, Chiaki Morisawa wouldn’t have felt any of it.

The moment passed as soon as it came, and whether or not Chiaki’s flames had been enough to kill the orb for good, he couldn’t say. His world went as black as the inky bowels of the beast above him, and Ryusei Red knew no more than that.

**Author's Note:**

> Ref for each of Ryuseitai's powers:  
> Chiaki: [Incineration](http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Incineration)  
> Kanata: Water Absorption (which can then be manipulated) + Mysterious Cosmic Bullshit  
> Tetora: [Relative Strength Perception](http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Relative_Strength_Perception)  
> Midori: [Emotion Augmentation](http://powerlisting.wikia.com/wiki/Emotion_Augmentation)  
> Shinobu: Obscurification, both of tangible and abstract beings/concepts. 
> 
> I may make this into a multi-chap AU in the future. No promises though.


End file.
